Electrometallurgical furnace.



F. LoUvBIER. BLECTBOHBTALLUBGIOAL FUBNAGH.

APPLICATION FILED 10V. 2 3, 1908.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

l WwW/w? .rRANQoIs Louvre-1ER,orl MEXICO, MnXroo.

ELEQTROMETALLURGICAL rammen. i

Speciicaton of Letters Patent.

Patenten nee. iaiaio.

,Application ed November :'53, 1968. Serial No. 464,081.

. Toti/7l 'whom muy concern:

lie it known that I, Fn'ANoois Lotwninn, a

citizen` ot France. residingl at 3 Ramon Guzman, 146, in the city ofiMeXico, Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrometailurgical Furnacesand I do hereb)`7 declare that the 'followin` 1s a full, clear, and exact description otthe` mention, such as will enable others the passages, means for conducting the cm'- rent from the [refining to the-reduction chambers when` .the passages are closed, means -for burning, in the charging columns, the gases 'produced within the reduction chambers, or for discharging such gases into the atmosphere, or for collecting them, means for delivering air, under pressure, to the'crucible chamber, and means for delivering from the Crucible chamber the gases de` veloped therein.

ln order to enable one skilled in the art rto which the invention relates to more clearly understand the construction, operation and Ause of the invention, reference should be had to the accon'ipanying drawings forming part of the present application. i i

Th'roughcnit the several .figures of the drawings, like 'reference characters design nate the same parts. I

inthe drawings: Figure l .is a vertical longitudinal section. of a furnace on line AHB of Fig.. Q', Fig. 2 is vertical cross see,- tion on line ,C-D or Fig. l; and, Fig. is a pian view of- F 1.

The furnace body, as a whole, is constructed oit .suitable refractory material. and formed into two contracted reduction cham-v bers I and Il, both of which communicate with a crueibie chamberl F, by wayiof theV openings U, which openings may be closed by the slides or gates N, operabie troni the exterior ot thefurnace.

In order' to heat the charge in the' furnace to a' reducing temperature, eiectrodes T and T are passed through the rooil of the'furnace, and project into thereduction chambers I and H respectively. lt will be noted thatI the Crucible chamber is disposed be Consequently, the current ywill flowl in through the electrode T, through the charge in the reduction chamber li, ti'n'ougii-tlie relined Vn ietai in the 'Crucible chamber i?, through the charge in the reduction chamH bei' 'ii and out through the electrode T', melting the charge, in its circuit. Each furnace is provided with a plurality of charging columns G', through* which ore may be fed to the interior of the furnace, and these columns have each a rod or rods o, extending tiansrersely acrosstlre lower end of the column in such position as to protectthe construction from violent shocks caused furnaces, of course, are arranged in batteries in order to save spaceand to aiord almore economical construction. In.. this manner, every second columnl G will serve -as a partial feeder for two reduction chambers, as shown in Fig. l. The gates Z niav be brought to play in order to discontinue the feed in one of the furnaces while the others are in operation. These gates may be opeiu ated by hand wheels from the exterior ot the furnace, or in any other manner desired.

The portion immediately above the cruciblc chamber F, lying between l'the inner walls of the reduction chambers l and H, constitutes an open space, easy of access and terminating in a tapered pointed root, b v means ot' which the charge fronrtlie central column G is led toward either side and into the reduction chambers, whose lowest part is the dome shaped partition i) forming the upper part ot the crucible chamber l. This dome is providedwith a pluralitvv oi" openings'O, through which refining materials maybe introduced. These openings ma;v all "be tightljt7 closed by refractory lids or corcrs E. Besides these openings. for introduction of reiining materials, vthere niar be a larger and centralijvfv disposed opening for the iusertion of the supplementary electrode e?,

iit desired; which may be used intermittently l whenever the metal in the relining chamber tween the two reducing chambers l and H.-

by the fail of the orc,lwhile feeding.' The U are closed bythe slides N, vthe passage of the current frointhe metal (in the crucible chamber to that in the reduction chamber'I is. interrupted. In order to bridge the closures N, Wall plugs Q and Q are letinto `the bottom of the furnace and extend into the c'rncible and reduction chambers II respectix ly, their outer ends being connected togetherby a conductor X. The passages Vfor all of the electrodes are made tight by hermetic closures.

In many instances the process Will-require the injection of air under pressure. In such cases, any usual form of twyers 100 may be used communicating with the interior of the crucible chamber. 0f course, when the compressed air is introduced, there must be some means provided for the escape of the gases generated. To this end, a flue J may be connected to the top of the chamber in such. manner asto deliver all vapors to the outside air. The reduction chambers and'the retining or crucible chamber are provided .respectively with spouts L and M for withdrawal of slag and metal. The ventire furnace `is constructed throughout from highly refractory electric insulating material, which'will not enter into combination with or act chemically on the material being treated or that resulting from the process. It,is particularly desirable that carbon shall not enter into the composition of the floors or soles of the furnace.

The spoutl M, previously mentioned, is situated just a few millimeters above the floor or sole of the furnace, so that a very thin surfacelayer of fthe metal will be leftI t in the furnace to insure conduction ofthe electric current.

' provided for the complete withdrawal of all metal. This spout is placed directly1 on a leirel with orl slightlybelow the sole of the furnace.

The several electrodes are, of course, so mounted that they may be inserted or withdrawn as desired in order to varythe efl'ect of the electric current on the ore being treated. l IVhen the gases from the reduction chamber-sare to be burned in thel charging columns, twyers Q00 will be provided in the bases of the columns for feeding air thereto, and the passages around the'electrodes will be hermetically closed. Suitable meters of well known forni may be used in order to determine the amount, the tension and con sequent consumption of the current. V

It is thoughtthatthe operation and' of the invention will be clear from the pre- 1ceding detailed description.

Changes ma)1 be made 1n the details of the construction, ar angemcnt and disposition of the several parts ofthe furnace, without in any way departing from .the field and scope of the invention. and 1t is meantto.

include all such within this application, wherein only a preferred form has been shown and described.

Hawing t'hus fully described my intention` what I claim as new, and desire to secure b v Letters Patent. is y l. A furnace of the character described. comprising a furnace body, a refining chamber built up within the furnace body in such manner as -to divide the interior of the fura nace body into two separate and distinct re-l duction chambers and provided with openings through the lower parts of its walls to allow flow of reducedinetal directly from the bottoms of the reducing chambers to the interior of the refining chamber, means for passing' a reducing` current through the material in the furnaceineans for feeding ma-I terial tothe reduction chambers, and means for cutting ottl the flow of reduced material yao A furnace of the character described,4

comprising a furnace body, a refining chamber built up within the furnace body in such manner as to divide the interiorof the furnace bodY into two separate' and distinct chambers,I and provided with openings through the lower parts of its walls to allow flow of reduced metal directly7 from the bot- An additional spout V is Athereabout.

In witness whereof I have hereunto .set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCOIS LOUVRIIEP..

. vlVitnes-esz Axmucw Disiuzxs, J. G. MIJAUS. 

